Pet Kidney Disease:Phosphorus Binders for Dogs & Cats

Aluminum hydroxide (ALOH) is currently recommended by Board Certified Veterinary Internists at the University of Davis, veterinary hospital as the product of choice to use in pets to effectively bind and eliminate excess phosphorus from the body. It has effectively replaced Epikacin for this purpose.

The Pet Kidney Dialysis Center at University of Davis in California is top notch, offering state of the art treatment, dialysis and kidney transplants for pets with advanced kidney failure.

Azodyl is an over the counter product made in France and distributed by a company called Vetoquinol for pets. Another company Kilbow Biotics, sells Azodyl for humans. Azodyl, contains three varieties of “good bacteria”, or what we refer to as probiotics, (also found in organic yogurt, such as “activia”) specifically E. thermophilus (KB 19), L. acidophilus (KB 27), and B. longum (KB 31), along with some Psyllium husk.

The Vetoquinol web site suggests that using Azodyl, along with another product, called Epikacin they also manufacture helps to reduce nitrogenous waste and flush “uremic” toxins from the bodies of dogs and cats with kidney problems, therefore lowering BUN and Creatinine blood levels.

Epikacin, made by the same company, is a Calcium based product, labelled to bind excess phosphorus and help eliminate it from the body, in pets with kidney failure. Unfortunately, excess calcium blood levels are usually also present in pets with kidney failure and because of this, newer products specifically Aluminum Hydroxide is considered to be the best product available to reduce excess phosphorus and calcium blood levels.